The week in radio: Sparks fly when Shane Coleman and Ciara Kelly discuss open fires, but Adrian Kennedy arrives on Newstalk without his old shock-jock energy
It’s worth noting that the presenters are at this stage arguing over hypothetical scenarios rather than actual proposals. Heads are cooler on Tuesday when the duo debate the more pressing issue of housing, perhaps because they have concrete information to dissect. Or maybe it’s because everyone agrees the accommodation crisis is so dire, there’s little prospect of the situation improving any time soon.
Anything vaguely related to the culture wars, on the other hand, is dependably inflammable material. So Wednesday’s debate between Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín and Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan on new recommendations to drop the three-day limit on abortion is predictably fractious.
If nothing else, Kennedy’s presence would seem to portend controversy, the reserve currency of any phone-in show. So it’s a bit of a let-down when the presenter does his best to be fair and balanced. Far from expertly coaxing callers into on-air meltdowns or ill-judged rants, he hears their views and moves on.
True, there is the odd frisson of excitement, as on Tuesday when he asks, “How far is too far?” But far from daring listeners to push the envelope, he’s actually inquiring about the limits of public protest, following a demonstration outside the home of People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy. He talks, respectfully but inquisitively to Murphy’s partner Jess about what happened.
Still, it’s tame stuff compared to Kennedy’s previous incarnations on FM104 and 98FM. Possibly he works better in a more unbuttoned setting than Lunchtime Live, with its national daytime radio guardrails; in her deceptively quiet way, Gilligan stirs up more spiky debate.
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